AFTER EXTENSIVE VANDALISM IN CAR PARKS / SwedenCase example of Panasonic security system

AFTER EXTENSIVE VANDALISM IN CAR PARKS / Sweden

Burglary and vandalism of cars has, unfortunately, been an all too common occurrence in the local car parks in Lulea, Sweden. This is going to end now with a new monitoring solution and 100 hi-resolution surveillance cameras installed in the two parking lots.

During spring 2014, the municipality of Luleå in Sweden experienced vandalism makers and thieves, who often ravaged in the local car parks in the city center to great annoyance of the car drivers and the service staff. The car parks in Luleå city center operate seven days a week with a space to accommodate more than 180 cars in an indoor facility and over 700 cars in an outdoor park. Many citizens are using these car parks for their daily activities and are relying on the security of the area for long hours. At the same time, the parking lot operators also faced the challenge of people using remote areas of the parking facilities to repair their vehicle or choosing to sleep overnight.

Measures had to be taken to improve security and ensure customers safety, especially in the evenings. The municipality took the decision to install live CCTV monitoring and a tendering process was launched to find the best solution.

The requirements were clear. Not only the recordings had to have a razor-sharp resolution, the system needed to be able to monitor every single inch of the two car parks. Additionally, data security and remote acess control had a high priority on the list.

Swedens oldest independent CCTV Company, Nilhe AB, was chosen to deliver the desired result for a reasonable price.

An eye for everything

"Car parks need to be professionally managed to ensure user satisfaction and profitability. To achieve this in Luleå, the operators needed to improve security, safety and operations in the parking facilities. In this case, there were only a few employees to manage the two car parks, hence, making it nearly impossible effectively manage the large locations. With the offered solution, we can now help preventing further vandalism," says the Technical Manager Erik Erlandsson, Nilhe AB.

The monitoring solution from Nilhe includes 100 HD dome cameras from Panasonic and 25 intercoms. Even spaces behind corners and tight areas will be monitored. The intelligent video motion system will detect suspicious behaviors and immediately send an alert to the staff.

"The cameras and intercoms is linked to the staff's mobile phones for both voice and video communication enabling fast reaction and flexible surveillance," explains Erik.

Customers: Keep our cars safe

When Nilhe and Team installed the many cameras, they received a lot of spontaneous feedback from car drivers. Especially one stod out to Erik:

"A woman asked what we were doing. I told her that we were about to install a lot of monitoring equipment. She was simply so happy, because every time she had bought extra front light to the car it was stolen in the parking lot and she was so tired to fear for the next rubbery. In this situations, you really feel that you make a difference."

A cost-effective solution over time

The benefits of the solution go beyond customer satisfaction and improved security.

"With reduced operating costs, staffing of the parking spaces and decreased vandalism, the municipality has already reported significant financial benefits from the solution. Compared to the earlier operating costs, the reduction of the staffing of the parking spaces and reduced levels of vandalism cases resulted in significant savings," tells Erik

Data protection - a hot issue

Data security is an unavoidable subject when it comes to surveillance in public areas. To protect privacy strict rules for data access must be applied and approved before installing a monitoring system.

"Data security is a high priority for both us and the operators in Luleå parking lots. Only three people have access to the recordings. They have a personal login and can only access the information from two offices. Data will solely be distributed if it is required by the police," explains Erik.

Not just a local challenge

The latest statistics from Swedish Council for Crime Prevention shows that car vandalism is one of the biggest challenges related to public area safety in Sweden.
Approximately 24 percent of 16,589 reported vandalism cases in Sweden were related to cars (Brå, 2012). These statistics provides a valid argument for expanding the solution to other parking facilities in Sweden.

"We see great potential for implementing this solution broadly in Sweden. We have just prepared a new sales package, which will be demonstrated on a roadshow during 2015. All car parks should be safe and profitable," ends Erik Erlandsson.

100 hi-resolution surveillance cameras from Panasonic were installed in two actively used parking lots in Sweden to improve security and operation. This measure has increased safety and provided significant financial benefits.